Semi-OT: HEEEEEEEELP!!!!!

[Strategia_In_Ultima]

I've got a disk with 3 files on it, at least 1 of which is very important - to me, at least. However, I cannot read the disk anymore! It worked perfectly until like several hours ago. I used it to store .doc files made in Word XP, but now I've installed Word 2003 on a Wndows 98 SE computer. It opened the files allright, and it saved them, but now the disk has become unreadable on both computers! I've tried it in the XP computer and in the 98 SE computer, both of them say the disk isn't formatted and both can't read the disk! Is there any way to get the data stored on that disk back? Please?

[Thermodyne]

I have a litte demo/free-to-try program that might recover them. Its about 4megs....Got broadband?

[Strategia_In_Ultima]

4 megs is OK. You gonna post it here or e-mail it?

[Thermodyne]

I'll post it for you

[Strategia_In_Ultima]

It chokes on the disk. It says the disk isn't formatted. Thanks anyway.

Does anybody know of a way to access disks that appear not to be formatted, since that's really the problem?

And no, I don't have backups http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/frown.gif IF I recover the file(s) though, I will make a backup. I've learnt my lesson. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/frown.gif

[Thermodyne]

Take a look at what they have here.

Floopy Tools (http://www.handyarchive.com/free/retrieve-data-from-damaged-floppy/)

[Strategia_In_Ultima]

Almost everything chokes on the disk. FAT-Recovery recovers the files all right, BUT THE F*CKING DEMO WON'T SAVE FILES LARGER THAN SIXTY-FOUR F*CKING KILOBYTES!!!!! I'm very P.O.'d about FAT-Recovery.

Recover (that's simply its name) finds the disk drive but, for some reason, won't enable the "Begin recovery" button.

I've tried a good deal of these programs, but they won't work. None of them.

Has somebody got an access code for that FAT-Recovery thing? Please?

I really care about the data on that disk. It contains up until Chapter 5(!) of my story. I've worked on that for the better part of a day, and to lose four entire chapters (including some I really like myself, and a helluva lot of action) would simply kill me.

Btw, what the hell is a "disk image"?

Active@ Floppy Recovery has a limit of 32 kilobytes. Dammit.

[Thermodyne]

Disk Image creates a "virtual floppy" on your hard drive. It's sort of like those apps that you build boot floppies with. Sorry, but my codes are all 70 miles away at work, and I've been out sick going on 5 weeks now. Don't see myself getting to Baltimore any time very soon either.

[Atrocities]

PC Rule # 1.NEVER TRUST FLOPPY DISKS!

I have been where you are now and all I can say is, good luck. You might see if your computers still have a temp file of that document. Otherwise recovering it is going to be next to impossible. This occures even with CD's. I have burned back up files onto CD and they worked fine for a while then without warning they are no good any more.

I have learned to keep back ups of everything on multiple disks now. Even uploading some files to a secure web host.

I wish you the best.

[narf poit chez BOOM]

Almost never had a problem with amiga floppy disks.

* Puts nose in air, trips over feet.

[EaX]

Here's the program i use to recover "dead" floppy disk

http://www.pcinspector.de/file_recovery/uk/welcome.htm

hope you find it usefull.

[Kamog]

I have had a lot of trouble with floppy disks dying. I often use floppy disks to transfer small files from one computer to another, and it is not unusual to copy some files onto the disk, go to the other machine, and the disk is unreadable. Then I bring the disk back to the original computer, and it's still unreadable. Occasionally I just shake the disk a bit, flick the metal shutter open and close a couple times, and put it back in the drive, and it recovers. But more often than not, the disk is dead and I throw it away.

And the other thing I noticed. It's not a good idea to carry floppy disks unprotected in your shirt pocket. I thought they made those disks 3 1/2" in size so that it fits in your pocket, but I find that if I do that the disks tend to die even faster.

[EaX]

that's why i bought a pen drive http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/wink.gif

[Atrocities]

They are manufactured in china now, any thing manufactured there will fail soon after you buy it. I have been warning people about this problem for some time but no one listens to poor old Zatherous. No respect.

Seriously, the electronic products that are coming out of chine, albeit they are cheep, do fail more often than not within the first year of service. I have had to replace two microwaves, six dvd players, two tv's, a ton of shoes, clothing, and other "Made In China" products. Since nearly everything is now made in china and sold at walmart, finding things made in Japan or even Mexico has become a real challenge. Hell finding something made in America now is like finding real gold, and often unafordable.

China products = low end junk! You will buy three or four of their items to one made elsewhere.

Oh ya, avoid Asus Mother Boards too, they are not what they once were. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/frown.gif

[EaX]

I don't know where my pen drive was manufactured, it's a dane-elec 512mb, so far it worked perfectly.

[Strategia_In_Ultima]

Thanks for the help, guys. I've managed to recover most of the file (up to chapter 4 of my story. Chapter 5 is something I'll have to re-write. Oh well.).

The first thing I did was back up the bloody file on my harddisk. I've learnt I can't trust disks now - the hard way.